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THE STORY OF 
THE GOLDEN FLEECE 














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Frontispiece — The Story of the Golden Fleece. 


See page j? 



THE STORY 
of the GOLDEN 
FLEECE 


BY 

Andrew Lang 


Illustrations by MILLS THOMPSON 


PHILADELPHIA 
HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY 



THE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

Two Copies Received 


SEP 29 1903 

✓iCopyMghi Entry 

3,/</o3 
BLASS CL XXo. No, 

(s>32 <5~ 

COPY A. 



Copyright, 1903, by 
Henry Altemus 




CONTENTS 

CHAPTER I page 

The Children of the Cloud . . . .15 

CHAPTER II 

The Search for the Fleece .... 39 

CHAPTER III 

The Winning of the Fleece . . . .69 























































































* 


























































ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

“ Far away to the eastward he flew ” Frontispiece. 4 

“ And the Golden Ram went between them as they 
walked to the temple’ ’ .... 33 

“ ‘I am Jason’ ” 47 

“And beautiful Medea saw Jason; and as soon as 
she saw him she loved him” ... 73 

“He yoked them to the plow and drove them 
with his spear” 79 

“Then Jason set his foot on the dragon’s neck 
and hewed off his head” .... 89 























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INTRODUCTORY 


This is the story of the Fleece of Gold, 
and of the Golden Ram, and what he 
did , and where he died, and how a 
Dragon guarded his fleece, and who 
the man was that won it, and of all 
that befell him on his way to find the 
Fleece, and on his way home . Be- 
cause it is a long story, it is divided 
into parts. And the first part is the 
tale of “The Children of the Cloud” 


xi 
































































































































THE CHILDREN OF THE 

CLOUD 



. 








THE STORY OF 

THE GOLDEN FLEECE 


CHAPTER I 

THE CHILDREN OF THE CLOUD 

O NCE upon a time there was a king 
called Athamas, who reigned in a 
country beside the Grecian sea. 
Now, Athamas was a young man, and 
unmarried, because none of the prin- 
cesses who then lived seemed to him 
beautiful enough to be his wife. One 
day he left his palace and climbed high 
up into a mountain, following the course 
of a little river. Now, a great black rock 
stood on one side of the river, and made 
15 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


a corner, round which the water flowed 
deep and dark. Yet, through the noise 
of the river, the king thought he heard 
laughter and voices like the voices of 
girls. So he climbed very quietly up the 
rock, and, looking over the edge, there 
he saw three beautiful maidens bathing 
in a pool, and splashing each other with 
the water. Their long yellow hair cov- 
ered them like cloaks and floated behind 
them on the pool. One of them was even 
more beautiful than the others, and as 
soon as he saw her the king fell in love 
with her, and said to himself, “This is 
the wife for me.” 

Now, as he thought this, his arm 
touched a stone, which slipped from the 
top of the rock where he lay, and went 
leaping, faster and faster as it fell, till 
it dropped with a splash into the pool 
16 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


below. Then the three maidens heard 
it, and were frightened, thinking some 
one was near. So they rushed out of the 
pool to the grassy bank where their 
clothes lay, lovely soft clothes, white and 
gray, and rosy-colored, all shining with 
pearl drops, and diamonds like dew. 

In a moment they had dressed, and 
then it was as if they had wings, for they 
rose gently from the ground, and floated 
softly up and up the windings of the 
brook. Here and there among the green 
tops of the mountain-ash trees the king 
could just see the white robes shining 
and disappearing, and shining again, 
till they rose far off like a mist, and so 
up and up into the sky, and at last he 
only followed them with his eyes, as they 
floated like clouds among the other clouds 
across the blue. All day he watched 

2 — Golden Fleece. ^ _ 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


them, and at sunset he saw them sink, 
golden and rose-colored and purple, and 
go down into the dark with the setting 
sun. Now, the king went home to his 
palace, hut he was very unhappy, and 
nothing gave him any pleasure. All 
day he roamed about among the hills, 
and looked for the beautiful girls, hut 
he never found them. And all night he 
dreamed about them, till he grew thin 
and pale and was like to die. 

Now, the way with sick men then was 
that they made a pilgrimage to the temple 
of a god (for they were heathen people, 
worshiping many gods), and in the 
temple they offered sacrifices. Then 
they hoped that the god would appear to 
them in a dream, and tell them how they 
might be made well again. So the king 
drove in his chariot a long way, to the 
18 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


town where this temple was. And when 
he reached it, it was a strange place. 
The priests were dressed in dogs’ skins, 
with the heads of the dogs drawn down 
over their faces, and there were live dogs 
running all about the place, for these 
were the favorite beasts of the god. And 
there was an image of him, with a dog 
crouched at his feet, and in his hand he 
held a serpent, and fed it from a bowl. 
So there the king sacrificed before the 
god, and when night fell he was taken 
into the temple, and there were many 
beds made up on the floor and many 
people lying on them, both rich and poor, 
hoping that the god would appear to 
them in a dream, and tell them how they 
might be healed. There the king lay, 
like the rest, and for long he could not 
close his eyes. At length he slept, and 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


he dreamed a dream. But it was not 
the god of the temple that he saw in his 
dream ; he saw a beautiful lady, and she 
seemed to float above him in a chariot 
drawn by doves, and all about her was a 
crowd of chattering sparrows. She was 
more beautiful than any woman in the 
world, and she smiled as she looked at 
the king, and said, “Oh, King Athamas, 
you are sick for love! Now this you 
must do: go home, and on the first 
night of the new moon, climb the 
hills to that place where you saw the 
Three Maidens. In the dawn they will 
come again to the river, and bathe in 
the pool. Then do you creep out of the 
wood, and steal the clothes of her you 
love, and she will not be able to fly away 
with the rest, and she will be your wife. ’ ’ 
Then she smiled again, and her doves 
20 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


bore her away, and the king woke, and 
remembered the dream, and thanked the 
lady in his heart, for he knew that she 
was a goddess, the Queen of Love. 

Then he drove home, and did all that 
he had been told. On the first night of 
the new moon, when she shines like a thin 
gold thread in the sky, he left his palace, 
and climbed up through the hills, and hid 
in the wood by the edge of the pool. 
When the dawn began to shine silvery, 
he heard voices, and saw the three girls 
come floating through the trees, and 
alight on the river bank, and undress, 
and run into the water. There they 
bathed, and splashed each other with 
the water, laughing in their play. Then 
he stole to the grassy bank, and seized 
the clothes of the most beautiful of the 
three; and they heard him move, and 
21 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


rushed out to their clothes. Two of 
them were clad in a moment, and floated 
away through the glen, but the third 
crouched sobbing and weeping under the 
thick cloak of her yellow hair. Then 
she prayed the king to give her back her 
soft gray and rose-colored raiment, but 
he would not, till she had promised to 
be his wife. And he told her how long 
he had loved her, and how the goddess 
had sent him to be her husband, and at 
last she promised, and took his hand, and 
in her shining robes went down the hill 
with him to the palace. But he felt as 
if he walked on the air, and she scarcely 
seemed to touch the ground with her feet. 
And she told him that her name was 
Nephele, which meant 1 1 a cloud, ’ ’ in their 
language, and that she was one of the 
Cloud Fairies that bring the rain, and 
22 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


live on the hilltops, and in the high lakes, 
and water springs, and in the sky. 

So they were married, and lived very 
happily, and had two children, a hoy 
named Phrixns, and a daughter named 
Helle. And the two children had a beau- 
tiful pet, a Ram with a fleece all of gold, 
which was given them by a young god 
called Hermes, a beautiful god, with 
wings on his shoon,— for these were the 
very Shoon of Swiftness, that he lent 
afterwards, as perhaps you have read or 
heard, to the hoy, Perseus, who slew the 
monster, and took the Terrible Head. 
This Ram the children used to play with, 
and they would ride on his back, and 
roll about with him on the flowery 
meadows. 

Now they would all have been happy, 
hut for one thing. When there were 
23 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


clouds in the sky, and when there was 
rain, then their mother, Nephele, was 
always with them ; but when the summer 
days were hot and cloudless, then she 
went away, they did not know where. 
The long dry days made her grow pale 
and thin, and, at last, she would vanish 
altogether, and never come again, till the 
sky grew soft and gray with rain. 

Now King Athamas grew weary of 
this, for often his wife would be long 
away. Besides there was a very beau- 
tiful girl called Ino, a dark girl, who 
had come in a ship of merchantmen 
from a far-off country, and had stayed 
in the city of the king when her friends 
sailed for Greece. The king saw her, 
and often she would be at the palace, 
playing with the children when their 
mother had disappeared with the Clouds, 
24 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


her sisters. Now Ino was a witch, and 
one day she pnt some drugs into the 
king’s wine, and when he had drunk it, 
he quite forgot Nephele, his wife, and 
fell in love with Ino. And at last he 
married her, and they had two children, 
a boy and a girl, and Ino wore the crown, 
and was queen. And she gave orders 
that Nephele should never be allowed to 
enter the palace any more. So Phrixus 
and Helle never saw their mother, and 
they were dressed in ragged old skins of 
deer, and were ill fed, and were set to do 
hard work in the house, while the chil- 
dren of Ino wore gold crowns in their 
hair, and were dressed in fine raiment, 
and had the best of everything. 

One day Phrixus and Helle were in 
the field, herding the sheep, for now they 
were treated like peasant children, and 
25 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


had to work for their bread. And there 
they met an old woman, all wrinkled, 
and poorly clothed, and they took pity 
on her, and brought her home with them. 
Now Ino saw her, and as she wanted a 
nurse for her children, she took her in 
to he the nurse, and the old woman took 
care of the children, and lived in the 
house. And she was kind to Phrixus and 
Helle. But neither of them knew that 
she was their own mother, Nephele, who 
had disguised herself as an old woman 
and a servant, that she might he with 
her children. And Phrixus and Helle 
grew strong and tall, and more beautiful 
than Ino’s children, so she hated them, 
and determined, at last, to kill them. 
They all slept at night in one room, but 
Ino’s children had gold crowns in their 
hair, and beautiful coverlets on their 
26 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


beds. Now, one night, Phrixns was half 
awake, and he heard the old nurse come, 
in the dark, and put something on his 
head, and on his sister’s, and change their 
coverlets. But he was so drowsy that he 
half thought it was a dream, and he lay 
and fell asleep. But, in the dead of 
night, the wicked stepmother, Ino, crept 
into the room with a dagger in her hand. 
And she stole up to the bed of Phrixus, 
and felt his hair, and his coverlet. Then 
she went softly to the bed of Helle, and 
felt her coverlet, and her hair with the 
gold crown on it. So she supposed these 
to be her own children, and she kissed 
them in the dark, and went to the beds 
of the other two children. She felt 
their heads, and they had no crowns 
on, so she killed them, thinking they 
were Phrixus and Helle. Then she 


27 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


crept downstairs, and went back to 
bed. 

Now, in the morning, there were the 
stepmother Ino ’s children cold and dead, 
and nobody knew who had killed them. 
Only the wicked queen knew, and she, 
of course, would not tell of herself, but 
if she hated Phrixus and Helle before, 
now she hated them a hundred times 
worse than ever. But the old nurse was 
gone; nobody ever saw her there again, 
and everybody but the queen thought 
that she had killed the two children. 
Everywhere the king sought for her, but 
he never found her, for she had gone 
back to her sisters, the Clouds. 

And the Clouds were gone, too! For 
six long months, from winter to harvest 
time, the rain never fell. The country 
was burned up, the trees grew black and 
28 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


dry, there was no water in the streams, 
the corn turned yellow and died before 
it was come into the ear. The people 
were starving, the cattle and sheep were 
perishing, for there was no grass. And 
every day the sun rose hot and red, and 
went blazing through the sky without a 
cloud. 

Then the wicked stepmother, Ino, saw 
her chance. The king sent messengers to 
consult a prophetess, and to find out what 
should be done to bring hack the clouds 
and the rain. Then Ino took the mes- 
sengers, and gave them gold, and threat- 
ened also to kill them, if they did not 
bring the message she wished from the 
prophetess. Now this message was that 
Phrixus and Helle must be burned as a 
sacrifice to the gods. 

So the messengers went, and came 
29 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


back dressed in mourning. And when 
they were brought before the king, at 
first they would tell him nothing. But 
he commanded them to speak, and then 
they told him what Ino had bidden them 
to say, that Phrixus and Helle must be 
offered as a sacrifice to appease the gods. 

The king was very sorrowful at this 
news, but he could not disobey the gods. 
So poor Phrixus and Helle were 
wreathed with flowers, as sheep used to 
be when they were led to be sacrificed, 
and they were taken to the altar, all the 
people following and weeping. And the 
Golden Earn went between them, as they 
walked to the temple. Then they came 
within sight of the sea, which lay beneath 
the cliff where the temple stood, all glit- 
tering in the sun, and the happy white 
sea-birds flying over it. 

30 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


Then the Ram stopped, and suddenly 
he spoke to Phrixus, and said : “Lay hold 
of my horn, and get on my back, and let 
Helle climb up behind you, and I will 
carry you far away.” 

Then Phrixus took hold of the Ram’s 
horn, and Helle mounted behind him, 
and grasped its golden fleece, and sud- 
denly the Ram rose in the air, and flew 
above the people’s heads, far away over 
the sea. 

Far away to the eastward he flew, and 
deep below them they saw the sea, and 
the islands, and the white towers and 
temples, and the fields, and ships. East- 
ward always he went, toward the sun- 
rising, and Helle grew dizzy and weary. 
And finally a kind of sleep came over 
her, and she let go her hold of the Fleece, 
and fell from the Ram’s back, down and 
31 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


down. She fell into the narrow seas, 
at last, that run between Europe and 
Asia, and there she was drowned. And 
that strait is called Helle’s Ford, or 
Hellespont, to this day. But Phrixus 
and the Ram flew on up the narrow seas, 
and over the great sea which the Greeks 
called the Euxine, till they reached a 
country called Colchis. There the Ram 
alighted, so tired and weary that he died, 
and Phrixus had his beautiful Golden 
Fleece stripped off, and hung on an oak 
tree in a dark wood. And there it was 
guarded by a monstrous Dragon, so that 
nobody dared to go near it. And 
Phrixus married the king’s daughter, 
and lived long, till he died also, and a 
king called iEetes ruled that country. 
Of all the things he had, the rarest was 
the Golden Fleece, and it became a pro- 
32 



i ■ ■■ ■■i n Mmmttmamma—mmm-rn, i urn— 

The Story of the Golden Fleece. 

“AND THE GOLDEN RAM WENT BETWEEN THEM AS 
THEY WALKED TO THE TEMPLE.” 


33 





























































The Story of the Golden Fleece 


verb that nobody could take that Fleece 
away, nor deceive the Dragon who 
guarded it. The next chapter will tell 
who took the Fleece back to the Grecian 
land, and how he achieved this adventure. 


3 — Golden Fleece. 


35 





THE SEARCH FOR THE 
FLEECE 





CHAPTER II 


THE SEARCH FOR THE FLEECE 

S OME years after the Golden Ram 
died in Colchis, far across the sea, 
a certain king reigned in Greece, 
and his name was Pelias. He was not 
the rightful king, for he had turned his 
brother from the throne, and taken it 
for himself. Now, this brother had a 
son, a boy called Jason, and he sent him 
far away from Pelias, up into the moun- 
tains. In these hills there was a great 
cave, and in that cave lived Chiron who 
was half a horse. He had the head and 
breast of a man, but a horsed body and 
legs. He was famed for knowing more 
about everything than anyone else in all 
39 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


Greece. He knew about the stars, and 
the plants of earth, which were good for 
medicine and which were poisonous. He 
was the best archer with the bow, and 
the best player of the harp; he knew 
most songs and stories of old times, for 
he was the last of a people, half horse 
and half man, who had dwelt in ancient 
times on the hills. Therefore, the kings 
in Greece sent their sons to him to be 
taught shooting, singing, and telling the 
truth, and that was all the teaching they 
had then, except that they learned to 
hunt, fish, and fight, and throw spears, 
and toss the hammer and the stone. 
There Jason lived with Chiron and the 
boys in the cave, and many of the boys 
became famous. There was Orpheus 
who played the harp so sweetly that wild 
beasts followed his minstrelsy, and even 
40 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


the trees danced after him, and settled 
where he stopped playing ; and there was 
Mopsus who could understand what the 
birds say to each other; and there was 
Butes, the handsomest of men ; and 
Tiphys, the best steersman of a ship ; and 
Castor, with his brother Polydeuces, the 
boxer; and Heracles, the strongest man 
in the whole world, was there ; and Lyn- 
ceus, whom they called Keen-eye, because 
he could see so far, and he could see the 
dead men in their graves under the earth ; 
and there was Ephemus, so swift and 
light-footed that he could run upon the 
gray sea and never wet his feet; and 
there were Calais and Zetes, the two sons 
of the North Wind, with golden wings 
upon their feet; and many others were 
there whose names it would take too long 
to tell. They all grew up together in the 
41 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


hills good friends, healthy, and brave, 
and strong. And they all went out to their 
own homes at last; bnt Jason had no 
home to go to, for his nncle, Pelias, had 
taken it, and his father was a wanderer. 

So at last he wearied of being alone, 
and he said good-by to his old teacher, 
and went down through the hills toward 
Iolcos, his father’s old home, where his 
wicked nncle, Pelias, was reigning. As 
he went, he came to a great, flooded river, 
running red from bank to bank, rolling 
the round bowlders along. And there on 
the bank was an old woman sitting. 

“Cannot you cross, mother ?” said 
Jason; and she said she could not, but 
must wait until the flood fell, for there 
was no bridge. 

“I’ll carry you across,” said Jason, 
“if you will let me carry you.” 

42 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


So she thanked him, and said it was a 
kind deed, for she was longing to reach 
the cottage where her little grandson lay 
sick. 

Then he knelt down, and she climbed 
upon his back, and he used his spear for 
a staff, and stepped into the river. It 
was deeper than he thought, and 
stronger, hut at last he staggered out on 
the farther bank, far below where he 
went in. And then he set the old woman 
down. 

“ Bless you, my lad, for a strong man 
and a brave !” she said, i ‘and my bless- 
ing go with you to the world ’s end. ’ ’ 

Then he looked and she was gone he 
did not know where, for she was the 
greatest of the goddesses, Hera, the wife 
of Zeus, who had taken the shape of an 
old woman. 


43 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


Then Jason went down limping to the 
city, for he had lost one shoe in the flood. 
And when he reached the town he went 
straight np to the palace, and through the 
court, and into the open door, and up 
the hall, where the king was sitting at 
his table among his men. There Jason 
stood, leaning on his spear. 

When the king saw him he turned 
white with terror. For he had been told 
that a man with only one shoe would 
come some day and take away his king- 
dom. And here was the half-shod man 
of whom the prophecy had spoken. 

But he still remembered to be cour- 
teous, and he bade his men lead the 
stranger to the baths, and there the at- 
tendants bathed him, pouring hot water 
over him. And they anointed his head 
with oil, and clothed him in new raiment, 
44 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


and brought him back to the hall, and 
set him down at a table beside the king, 
and gave him meat and drink. 

When he had eaten and was refreshed, 
the king said: “Now it is time to ask 
the stranger who he is, and who his 
parents are, and whence he comes to 
Iolcos 1 ’ 9 

And Jason answered, “I am Jason, 
.Don’s son, your own brother’s son, and 
I am come to take back my kingdom. ’ ’ 

The king grew pale again, but he was 
cunning, and he leaped up and embraced 
the lad, and made much of him, and had 
a gold circlet twisted in his hair. Then 
he said he was old, and weary of judging 
the people. 1 1 And weary work it is, ’ ’ he 
said, “and no joy therewith shall any 
king have. For there is a curse on the 
country, that shall not be taken away till 
45 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


the Fleece of Gold is brought home, from 
the land of the world’s end.” 

When Jason heard that he cried, “I 
shall take the curse away, for I shall 
bring the Fleece of Gold from the land of 
the world’s end before I sit on the throne 
of my father.” 

Now this was the very thing that the 
king wished, for he thought that if once 
Jason went after the Fleece, certainly he 
would never come back living to Iolcos. 
So he said that it could never be done, 
for the land was far away across the 
sea, so far that the birds could not come 
and go in one year, so great a sea was 
that and perilous. Also, there was a 
dragon that guarded the Fleece of Gold, 
and no man could face it and live. 

But the idea of fighting a dragon was 
itself a temptation to Jason, and he made 
46 



lam J AS O N 




The Story of the Golden Fleece. 


47 





The Story of the Golden Fleece 


a great vow by the water of Styx, an 
oath the very gods feared to break, that 
certainly he would bring home that 
Fleece to Iolcos. And he sent out mes- 
sengers all over Greece, to all his old 
friends, and bade them come and help 
him, for that there was a dragon to kill, 
and that there would be fighting. And 
they all came, driving in their chariots 
down dales and across hills: Heracles, 
the strong man, with the bow that none 
other could bend; and Orpheus with his 
harp, and Castor and Polydeuces, and 
Zetes and Calais of the golden wings, and 
Tiphys, the steersman, and young Hylas, 
still a boy, and as fair as a girl, who 
always went with Heracles the strong. 
These came, and many more, and they 
set shipbuilders to work, and oaks were 
felled for beams, and ashes for oars, and 
49 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


spears were made, and arrows feathered, 
and swords sharpened. But in the prow 
of the ship they placed a bough of an oak 
tree from the forest of Dodona, where 
the trees can speak. And that bough 
spoke, and prophesied things to come. 
And they called the ship “Argo,” and 
they launched her, and put bread, and 
meat, and wine on board, and hung their 
shields with their crests outside the bul- 
warks. Then they said good-by to their 
friends, went aboard, sat down at the 
oars, set sail, and so away eastward to 
Colchis, in the land of the world’s end. 

All day they rowed, and at night they 
beached the ship, as was then the custom, 
for they did not sail at night, and they 
went on shore, and took supper, and 
slept, and next day to the sea again. 
And old Chiron, the man-horse, saw the 
50 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


swift ship from his mountain heights, 
and ran down to the beach; there he 
stood with the waves of the gray sea 
breaking over his feet, waving with his 
mighty hands, and wishing his hoys a 
safe return. And his wife held in her 
arms the little son of one of the ship’s 
company, Achilles, the son of Peleus of 
the Spear and of the goddess of the Sea 
Foam. So they rowed ever eastward, 
and ere long they came to a strange isle 
where dwelt men with six hands apiece, 
unruly giants. And these giants lay in 
wait for them on cliffs above the river’s 
mouth where the ship was moored, and 
before the dawn they rolled down great 
rocks on the crew. But Heracles drew 
his huge bow, the bow for which he slew 
Eurytus, king of Oeschalia, and where- 
ever a giant showed hand or shoulder 
51 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


above the cliff, he pinned him through 
with an arrow, till all were slain. And 
after that they still held eastward, pass- 
ing many islands, and towns of men, till 
they reached Mysia, and .the Asian shore. 
Here they landed, with bad luck. For 
while they were cutting reeds and grass 
to strew their beds on the sands, young 
Hylas, beautiful Hylas, went off with a 
pitcher in his hand to draw water. He 
came to a beautiful spring, a deep, clear, 
green pool, and there the water-fairies 
lived, whom men called Nereids. There 
were Eunis, and Nycheia with her April 
eyes, and when they saw the beautiful 
Hylas, they longed to have him always 
with them, to live in the crystal caves 
beneath the water. For they had never 
seen anyone so beautiful. And as he 
stooped with his pitcher and dipped it 
52 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


to the stream, they caught him softly in 
their arms, and drew him down below, 
and no man ever saw him any more, but 
he dwelt with the water-fairies. 

And Heracles the strong, who loved 
him like a younger brother, wandered 
all over the country, crying “Hylas! 
Hylas !” and the boy’s voice answered so 
faintly from below the stream that 
Heracles never heard him. So he 
roamed alone in the forests, and the rest 
of the crew thought he was lost. 

Then the sons of the North Wind were 
angry, and bade them set sail without 
him, and sail they did, leaving the strong 
man behind. Long afterward, when the 
Fleece was won, Heracles met the sons of 
the North Wind, and slew them with his 
arrows. And he buried them, and set a 
great stone on each grave, and one of 

4 — Golden Fleece. _ 0 

53 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


these is ever stirred, and shakes when the 
North Wind blows. There they lie, and 
their golden wings are at rest. 

Still they sped on, with a west wind 
blowing, and they came to the country of 
Giants. Their king was strong, and 
thought himself the best boxer then 
living, so he came down to the ship and 
challenged anyone of that crew ; and 
Polydeuces, the boxer, took up the chal- 
lenge. So the rest, and the people of 
the country, made a ring, and Poly deuces 
and the Giant stepped into the midst, and 
put up their hands. First they moved 
round each other cautiously, watching 
for a chance, and then, as the sun shone 
forth in the Giant’s face, Polydeuces 
leaped in and struck him between the 
eyes with his left hand, and, strong as 
he was, the Giant staggered and fell. 

54 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


Then his friends picked him np, and 
sponged his face with water, and all the 
crew of “Argo” shouted with joy. He 
was soon on his feet again, and rushed at 
Polydeuces, hitting out so hard that he 
would have killed him if the blow had 
gone home. But Polydeuces just moved 
his head a little on one side, and the blow 
went by, and, as the Giant slipped, Poly- 
deuces planted one in his mouth and 
another beneath his ear, and was away 
before the Giant could recover. There 
they stood, breathing heavily, and glaring 
at each other, till the giant made another 
rush, but Polydeuces avoided him, and 
struck him several blows quickly in the 
eyes, and now the Giant was almost blind. 
So Polydeuces at once ended the combat 
by a right-hand blow on the temple. The 
Giant fell, and lay as if he were dead. 
55 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


When he came to himself again, he had 
no heart to go on, for his knees shook, 
and he could hardly see. So Polydeuces 
made him swear never to challenge 
strangers again as long as he lived, and 
then the crew of •‘Argo” crowned Poly- 
deuces with a wreath of poplar leaves, 
and they took supper, and Orpheus sang 
to them, and they slept, and next day they 
came to the country of the unhappiest of 
men. 

His name was Phineus, and he was a 
prophet; but, when he came to meet 
Jason and his company, he seemed more 
like the ghost of a beggar than a crowned 
king. For he was blind, and very old, 
and he wandered like a dream, leaning 
on a staff, and feeling the wall with his 
hand. His limbs all trembled, he was 
but a thing of skin and bone, and all 
56 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 

foul and filthy to see. At last he reached 
the doorway and sat down, with his 
purple cloak fallen round him, and he 
held up his skinny hands, and welcomed 
Jason, for, being a prophet, he knew 
that now he should be delivered from his 
wretchedness. Now he lived, or rather 
lingered, in all this misery because he 
had offended the gods, and had told men 
what things were to happen in the future 
beyond what the gods desired that men 
should know. So they blinded him, and 
they sent against him hideous monsters 
with wings and crooked claws, called 
Harpies, which fell upon him at his meat, 
and carried it away before he could put 
it to his mouth. Sometimes they flew 
off with all the meat; sometimes they 
left a little, that he might not quite starve, 
and die, and be at peace, but might live 
57 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


in misery. Yet, even what they left was 
made so foul, and of such evil savor, 
that even a starving man could scarcely 
take it within his lips. Thus, this king 
was the most miserable of all men living. 

So he welcomed the heroes, and, above 
all, Zetes and Calais, the sons of the 
North Wind, for they, he knew, would 
help him. And they all went into the 
wretched, naked hall, and sat down at 
the tables, and the servants brought meat 
and drink and placed it before them, the 
latest and last supper of the Harpies. 
Then down on the meat swooped the 
Harpies, like lightning or wind, with 
clanging brazen wings, and iron claws, 
and the smell of a battlefield where men 
lie dead; down they swooped, and flew 
shrieking away with the food. But the 
two sons of the North Wind drew their 
58 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


short swords, and rose in the air on their 
golden wings, and followed where the 
Harpies fled, over many a sea and many 
a land, till they came to a distant isle, 
and there they slew the Harpies with 
their swords. And that isle was called 
1 1 Turn Again , 1 1 for there the sons of the 
North Wind turned, and it was late in 
the night when they came hack to the hall 
of Phineus, and to their companions. 

Now, Phineus was telling Jason and 
his company how they might win their 
way to Colchis and the world's end, and 
the wood of the Fleece of Gold. First, 
he said, you shall come in your ship to 
the Rocks Wandering, for these rocks 
wander like living things in the sea, and 
no ship has ever sailed between them. 
For they open, like a great mouth, to 
let ships pass, and when she is between 
59 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


their lips they clash again, and crush 
her in their iron jaws. By this way even 
winged things may never pass; nay, not 
even the doves that bear ambrosia to 
Father Zeus, the lord of Olympus, but 
the rocks ever catch one even of these. 
So, when you come near them, you 
must let loose a dove from the ship, and 
let her go before you to try the way. 
And if she flies safely between the rocks 
from one sea to the other sea, then row 
with all your might when the rocks open 
again. But if the rocks close on the bird, 
then return, and do not try the adventure. 
But, if you win safely through, then hold 
right on to the mouth of the River 
Phasis, and there you shall see the 
towers of iEetes, the king, and the 
grove of the Fleece of Gold. And then 
do as well as you may. 

60 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


So they thanked him, and the next 
morning they set sail, till they came to 
a place where high rocks narrowed the 
sea to the breadth of a river, and the 
stream ran swift, and the waves roared 
beneath the rocks, and the wet cliffs bel- 
lowed. Then Euphemus took the dove 
in his hands, and set it free, and she flew 
straight at the pass where the rocks met, 
and sped right through, and the rocks 
gnashed like gnashing teeth, but they 
caught only a feather from her tail. 
Then slowly the rocks opened again, like 
a wild beast’s mouth that opens, and 
Tiphys, the helmsman, shouted, “Row 
on, hard all!” and he held the ship 
straight for the pass. And she leaped at 
the stroke, and the oars bent like bows 
in the hands of men. Three strokes they 
pulled, and at each the ship leaped, and 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


now they were within the black jaws of 
the rocks, the water boiling round them, 
and so dark it was that they could see 
the stars. But the oarsmen could not 
see the daylight behind them, and the 
steersman could not see the daylight in 
front. Then the great tide rushed in 
between the rocks like a rushing river, 
and lifted the ship as if it were 
lifted by a hand, and through the strait 
she passed like a bird, and the rocks 
clashed, and only broke the carved wood 
of the ship ’s stern. And the ship reeled 
in the seething sea beyond, and all the 
men of Jason bowed their heads over 
their oars, half dead with the fierce 
rowing. 

Then they set all sail, and the ship 
sped merrily on, past the shores of the 
inner sea, past bays and towns, and river 
62 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


mouths, and round green hills, the tombs 
of men slain long ago. And, behold, on 
the top of one mound stood a tall man, 
clad in rusty armor, and with a broken 
sword in his hand, and on his head a 
helmet with a blood-red crest. And 
thrice he waved his hand, and thrice 
he shouted aloud, and was no more 
seen, for this was the ghost of Sthenelus, 
Actaeon’s son, whom an arrow had slain 
there long since, and he had come forth 
from his tomb to see men of his own 
blood, and to greet Jason and his com- 
pany. So they anchored there, and slew 
sheep in sacrifice, and poured blood and 
wine on the grave of Sthenelus. And 
there Orpheus left a harp, that the wind 
might sing in the chords, and make 
music to Sthenelus below the earth. 

Then they sailed on, and at evening 
63 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


they saw above their heads the snowy 
crests of Mount Caucasus, flushed in the 
sunset; and high in the air they saw, as 
it were, a black speck that grew greater 
and greater, and fluttered black wings, 
and then fell sheer down like a stone. 
And then they heard a dreadful cry from 
a valley of the mountain, for there 
Prometheus was fastened to the rock, and 
the eagles fed upon him, because he stole 
fire from the gods, and gave it to men. 
And the heroes shuddered when they 
heard his cry; but not long after Hera- 
cles came that way, and he slew the 
eagles with his bow, and set Prometheus 
free. 

But at nightfall they came into the 
wide mouth of the River Phasis, that 
flows through the land of the world’s end, 
and they saw the lights burning in the 
64 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


palace of iEetes the king. So now they 
were come to the last stage of their 
journey, and there they slept, and 
dreamed of the Fleece of Gold. 


65 




THE WINNING OF THE 

























CHAPTER III 




THE WINNING OF THE FLEECE 

N EXT morning the heroes awoke, 
and left the ship moored in the 
river’s mouth, hidden by tall 
reeds, for they took down the mast, lest 
it should be seen. Then they walked 
toward the city of Colchis, and they 
passed through a strange and horrible 
wood. Dead men, bound together with 
cords, were hanging from the branches, 
for the Colchis people buried women, but 
hung dead men from the branches of 
trees. Then they came to the palace, 
where King iEetes lived, with his young 
son Absyrtus, and his daughter Chal- 
ciope, who had been the wife of Phrixus, 

5 — Golden Fleece. 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


and his younger daughter, Medea, who 
was a witch, and the priestess of Brimo, 
a dreadful goddess. Now Chalciope 
came out and she welcomed J ason, 
for she knew the heroes were of her 
dear husband’s country. And beautiful 
Medea, the dark witch-girl, saw Jason, 
and as soon as she saw him she loved 
him more than her father and her 
brother and all her father’s house. For 
his bearing was gallant and his armor 
golden, and long yellow hair fell over 
his shoulders, and over the leopard skin 
that he wore above Ins armor. And she 
turned white and then red, and cast down 
her eyes, but Chalciope took the heroes 
to the baths, and gave them food. Then 
iEetes asked them why they came, and 
they told him that they desired the Fleece 
of Gold. Then he war- very angry, and 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


told them that only to a better man than 
himself would he give up that Fleece. 
If any wished to proVe himself worthy 
of it he must tame two bulls which 
breathed flame from their nostrils, and 
must plow four acres with these bulls. 
And then he must sow the field with the 
teeth of a dragon, and these teeth when 
sown would immediately grow up into 
armed men. Jason said that, as it must 
be, he would try this adventure, but he 
went sadly enough back to the ship and 
did not notice how kindly Medea was 
looking after him as he went. 

Now, in the dead of night, Medea could 
not sleep, because she was so sorry for 
the stranger, and she knew that she 
could help him by her magic. Then she 
remembered how her father would burn 
her for a witch if she helped J ason, and 
71 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


a great shame came on her that she 
should prefer a stranger to her own 
people. So she arose in the dark, and 
stole just as she was to her sister’s room, 
a white figure roaming like a ghost in 
the palace. And at her sister’s door she 
turned back in shame, saying, “No, I 
will never do it,” and she went back 
again, and came again, and knew not 
what to do; but at last she returned to 
her own bower, and threw herself on her 
bed, and wept. And her sisters heard 
her weeping, and came to her, and they 
cried together, but softly, that no one 
might hear them. For Chalciope was as 
eager to help the Greeks for love of her 
dead husband as Medea was for the love 
of Jason. And at last Medea promised 
to carry to the temple of the goddess of 
whom she was a priestess a drug that 
72 



rhe Story of the Golden Fleece. 

“AND BEAUTIFUL MEDEA SAW JASON; AND AS SOON 
AS SHE SAW HIM SHE LOVED HIM.” 


73 











































































































































The Story of the Golden Fleece 


would tame the bulls. But still she wept 
and wished that she were dead, and had 
a mind to slay herself ; yet, all the time, 
she was longing for the dawn, that she 
might go and see Jason, and give him 
the drug, and see his face once more, if 
she was never to see him again. So, at 
dawn she bound up her hair, and bathed 
her face, and took the drug, which was 
pressed from a flower. That flower first 
blossomed when the eagle shed the blood 
of Prometheus on the earth. The virtue 
of the juice of the flower was this, that 
if a man anointed himself with it, he 
could not that day be wounded by swords, 
and fire could not burn him. So she 
placed it in a vial beneath her girdle, 
and so she went secretly to the temple 
of the goddess. And Jason had been 
warned by Chalciope to meet her there, 
75 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


and he was coming with Mopsns who 
knew the speech of birds. Then Mopsns 
heard a crow that sat on a poplar tree 
speaking to another crow, saying : 

1 1 Here comes a silly prophet, and 
sillier than a goose. He is walking with 
a yonng man to me.et a maid, and does 
not know that, while he is there to hear, 
the maid will not say a word that is in 
her heart. Go away, foolish prophet ; it 
is not yon she cares for.” 

Then Mopsus smiled, and stopped 
where he was; hnt Jason went on, where 
Medea was pretending to play with the 
girls, her companions. When she saw 
Jason she felt as if she conld not come 
forward, nor go back, and she was very 
pale. Bnt Jason told her not to he 
afraid, and asked her to help him, bnt 
for long she conld not answer him ; how- 
76 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


ever, at the last, she gave him the drug, 
and taught him how to use it. “So shall 
you carry the fleece to Iolcos, far from 
here; but what is it to me where you 
go, when you have gone from here! 
Still remember the name of me, Medea, 
as I shall remember you. And may 
there come to me some voice, or some 
bird with the message, whenever you 
have quite forgotten me.” 

But Jason answered, “Lady, let the 
winds blow what voice they will, and 
what that bird will, let him bring. But 
no wind or bird shall ever bear the news 
that I have forgotten you, if you will 
cross the sea with me, and be my wife.” 

Then she was glad, and yet she was 
afraid, at the thought of that dark 
voyage, with a stranger, from her 
father’s home and her own. So they 
77 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


parted, Jason to the ship, and Medea to 
the palace. But in the morning Jason 
anointed himself and his armor with the 
drug, and all the heroes struck at him 
with spears and swords, but the swords 
would not bite on him nor on his armor. 
And he felt so strong and light that he 
leaped in the air with joy, and the sun 
shone on his glittering shield. Now they 
all went up together to the field where 
the bulls were breathing flame. There 
already was HSetes, and Medea, and all 
the Colchians had come to see Jason die. 
A plow had been brought to which he 
was to harness the bulls. Then he 
walked up to them, and they blew fire at 
him that flamed all round him, but the 
magic drug protected him. He took a 
horn of one bull in his right hand, and 
a horn of the other in his left, and dashed 
78 



The Story of the Golden Fleece. 

“HE YOKED THEM TO THE PLOW AND DROVE THEM 

WITH HIS SPEAR.’’ 


79 








The Story of the Golden Fleece 

their heads together so mightily that 
they fell. When they rose, all trembling, 
he yoked them to the plow, and drove 
them with his spear, till all the field was 
plowed in straight ridges and furrows. 
Then he dipped his helmet in the river, 
and drank water, for he was weary ; and 
next he sowed the dragon’s teeth on the 
right and left. Then you might see spear 
points, and sword points, and crests of 
helmets break up from the soil like 
shoots of corn, and presently the earth 
was shaken like sea waves, as armed men 
leaped out of the furrows, all furious 
for battle. But Jason, as Medea had 
told him to do, caught up a great rock, 
and threw it among them, and he who 
was struck said to his neighbor, 1 ‘You 
struck me ; take that ! ’ 9 and ran his spear 
through that man’s breast, but before he 
81 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


could draw it out another man had cleft 
his helmet with a stroke, and so it went. 
A few minutes of striking and shouting, 
while the sparks of fire sprang up from 
helmet and breastplate and shield. And 
the furrow ran red with blood, and 
wounded men crawled on hands and 
knees to strike or stab those that were 
yet standing and fighting. So ax and 
sword and spear flashed and fell, till now 
all the men were down but one, taller 
and stronger than the rest. Bound him 
he looked, and saw only Jason standing 
there, and he staggered toward him, 
bleeding, and lifting his great ax above 
his head. But Jason only stepped aside 
from the blow which would have cloven 
him to the waist, the last blow of the 
Men of the Dragon’s Teeth, for he who 
struck fell, and there he lay and died. 

82 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


Then J ason went to the king, where he 
sat looking darkly on, and said, ‘ ‘ 0 King, 
the field is plowed, the seed is sown, the 
harvest is reaped. Give me now the 
Fleece of Gold, and let me be gone.” 
But the king said, “Enough is done. 
To-morrow is a new day. To-morrow 
shall you win the Fleece. ’ * 

Then he looked sidewise at Medea, 
and she knew that he suspected her, and 
she was afraid. 

Now iEetes went and sat brooding 
over his wine with the captains of his 
people ; and his mood was bitter, both for 
loss of the Fleece, and because Jason 
had won it not by his own prowess, but 
by the magic aid of Medea. And, as for 
Medea herself, it was the king’s purpose 
to put her to a cruel death, and this she 
needed not her witchery to know. And 
83 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


a fire was in her eyes, and terrible sounds 
were ringing in her ears, and it seemed 
she had but one choice, to drink poison 
and die, or to flee with the heroes in the 
ship “Argo.” But at last flight seemed 
better than death. So she hid all her 
engines of witchcraft in the folds of her 
gown, and she kissed her bed where she 
would never sleep again, and the posts 
of the door, and she caressed the very 
walls with her hand in that last sad fare- 
well. And she cut a long lock of her 
yellow hair, and left it in the room, a 
keepsake to her mother dear, in memory 
of her maiden days. 6 1 Good-by, my 
mother,” she said, “this long lock I leave 
thee in place of me; good-by, a long 
good-by to me who am going on a long 
journey; good-by, my sister Chalciope, 
good-by ! dear house, good-by ! * ’ 

84 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


Then she stole from the house, and the 
bolted doors leaped open at their own 
accord at the swift spell Medea mur- 
mured. With her bare feet she ran down 
the grassy paths, and the daisies looked 
black against the white feet of Medea. 
So she sped to the temple of the goddess, 
and the moon overhead looked down on 
her. Many a time had she darkened the 
moon’s face with her magic song, and 
now the Lady Moon gazed white upon 
her, and said, “I am not, then, the only 
one that wanders in the night for love, 
as I love Endymion the sleeper, who 
wakens never! Many a time hast thou 
darkened my face with thy songs, and 
made night black with thy sorceries. 
And now, thou, too, art in love! So go 
thy way, and bid thy heart endure, for 
a sore fate is before thee.” 


85 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


But Medea hastened on till she came 
to the high river hank, and saw the 
heroes, merry at their wine in the light 
of a blazing fire. Thrice she called 
aloud, and they heard her, and came to 
her, and she said, “Save me, my friends, 
for all is known, and my death is sure. 
And I will give you the Fleece of Gold 
for the price of my life. ? ? 

Then Jason swore that she should be 
his wife, and more dear to him than all 
the world. Then she went aboard their 
boat, and swiftly they rowed to the dark 
wood where the dragon who never sleeps 
lay guarding the Fleece of Gold. And 
she landed, and Jason, and Orpheus with 
his harp, and through the wood they 
went, but that old serpent saw them 
coming, and hissed so loud that women 
wakened in Colchis town, and children 
86 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


cried to their mothers. But Orpheus 
struck softly on his harp, and he sang 
a hymn to Sleep, bidding him come and 
cast a slumber on the dragon’s wakeful 
eyes. This was the song he sang: 

Sleep ! King of Gods and men ! 

Come to my call again, 

Swift over field and fen, 

Mountain and deep : 

Come, bid the waves be still ; 

Sleep, streams on height and hill ; 

Beasts, birds, and snakes, thy will 
Conquereth, Sleep ! 

Come on thy golden wings, 

Come ere the swallow sings, 

Lulling all living things, 

Fly they or creep ! 

Come with thy leaden wand, 

Come with thy kindly hand, 

Soothing on sea or land 
Mortals that weep. 

Come from the cloudy west, 

Soft over brain and breast, 

Bidding the Dragon rest, 

Come to me, Sleep ! 

87 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


This was Orpheus’s song, and he sang 
so sweetly that the bright, small eyes 
of the dragon closed, and all his hard 
coils softened and uncurled. Then J ason 
set his foot on the dragon’s neck and 
hewed off his head, and lifted down the 
Golden Fleece from the sacred oak tree, 
and it shone like a golden cloud at dawn. 
But he waited not to wonder at it, hut he 
and Medea and Orpheus hurried through 
the wet wood-paths to the ship, and threw 
it on hoard, cast a cloak over it, and bade 
the heroes sit down to the oars, half of 
them, but the others to take their shields 
and stand each beside the oarsmen, to 
guard them from the arrows of the Col- 
chians. Then he cut the stern cables 
with his sword, and softly they rowed, 
under the hank, down the dark river to 
the sea. But by this time the hissing of 
88 



The Story of the Golden Fleece. 

“THEN JASON SET HIS FOOT ON THE DRAGON'S 
NECK AND HEWED OFF HIS HEAD.” 


89 




















The Story of the Golden Fleece 


the dragon had awakened the Colchians, 
and lights were flitting by the palace 
windows, and iEetes was driving in his 
chariot with all his men down to the 
banks of the river. Then their arrows 
fell like hail about the ship, but they 
rebounded from the shields of the heroes, 
and the swift ship sped over the bar, and 
leaped as she felt the first waves of the 
salt sea. 

And now the Fleece was won. But it 
was weary work bringing it home to 
Greece, and that is another story. For 
Medea and Jason did a deed which 
angered the gods. They slew her 
brother Absyrtus, who followed after 
them with a fleet. And the gods would 
not let them return by the way they had 
come, but by strange ways where never 
another ship has sailed. Up the Istes 

6 — Golden Fleece. 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


(the Danube) they rowed, through 
countries of savage men, till the “Argo” 
could go no farther, by reason of the 
narrowness of the stream. Then they 
hauled her overland, where no man 
knows, but they launched her on the 
Elbe at last, and out into a sea where 
never sail had been seen. Then they 
were driven wandering out into Ocean, 
and to a fairy, far-off isle where Lady 
Circe dwelt, and to the Sirens’ Isles, 
where the singing women of the sea be- 
guile the mariners; but about all these 
there is a better story, which you may 
some day read, the story of Odysseus, 
Laertes’s son. And at last the west 
wind drove them hack through the 
Pillars of Heracles, and so home to 
waters they knew, and to Iolcos itself, 
and there they landed with the Fleece, 
92 


The Story of the Golden Fleece 


and the heroes all went home. And 
Jason was crowned king, at last, on his 
father’s throne, bnt he had little joy of 
his kingdom, for between him and beau- 
tiful Medea was the memory of her 
brother, whom they had slain. And the 
long story ends but sadly, for they had 
no happiness at home, and at last they 
went different ways, and Medea sinned 
again, a dreadful sin to revenge an evil 
deed of Jason’s. For she was a woman 
that knew only hate and love, and where 
she did not love with all her heart, with 
all her heart she hated. But on his 
dying day it may be that he remembered 
her, when all grew dark around him, 
and down the ways of night the Golden 
Fleece floated like a cloud upon the wind 
of death. 

THE END. 

93 











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SEP 29 1903 




















































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I'OPY DEL. TO CAT. DiV 
SEP. 29 190 






OCT. 2 19U3 




















LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



D00as?7?t.ei 





